Different arenas and actions, but the same muscles, react to achieve an injury free success in all athletic movements: the co-contraction of the hip adductors and hip abductors.

Studies have shown that the lower body has an important role in increasing the speed of the throwing motion of baseball pitching. Maintaining mobility in the hip is important for baseball players to be able to take larger strides. For example, one of the most common problems with pitchers is lack of hip mobility, which can have detrimental effects on mechanics, velocity, and long term arm health.

The hip adductors are responsible for stabilizing the pelvis and moving the leg towards the midline of the body (adduction). In dance, the adductors are activated when the legs are drawn together, especially in jumps that have leg beats in the air.

Maintaining a balance between the hip abductors and the hip adductors is a mechanism that ensures pelvic security and stability." -Jacqui Greene, Dance Anatomy

The balance between the muscles of the hips allows for the body to react quickly in jumps, runs, or kicks in addition to more complicated movement patterns that arise in choreographies.

How to Prevent Hip Adductor Injury

Hip adductor injuries occur most commonly when there is a forced push-off (side-to-side motion). High forces occur in the adductor tendons when the athlete must shift direction suddenly in the opposite direction. As a result, the adductor muscles contract to generate opposing forces. By incorporating these practices into your training, you can avoid hip injuries and up your performance potential:

Spend some time warming up:A warm up works by slowly increasing heart rate and blood flow in the body in order to prepare the body for class and/or rehearsal. A good warm up is important before engaging in any form of athletic activity to prevent injury.

Implement a Flexibility Training Program: This is necessary to maintain a healthy range of movement and allow the body to move freely within the movement patterns that are asked of it.

Cross train with Yoga: Many yoga poses are hip openers that stretch the groins and adductors, which allow for greater range of motion. A consistent yoga practice will help you prevent injury while increasing flexibility in the hips. We recommend this yoga practice that you can do at home with your Flexistretcher.